Andrew Mangiapane is a sixth-round draft pick that panned out for the Flames
There’s a reason for the recent NHL trade talk surrounding Calgary Flames winger Andrew Mangiapane. Despite the struggles of both team and player the past couple of seasons, the 28-year-old forward has proven his value as a scorer and a possession player.
His relentless and aggressive forecheck combined with a lethal shot has pushed him into the international spotlight on several occasions with Team Canada, and those skills led to a lucrative $17.4-million deal set to expire after next season. You can bet the Calgary Flames’ best active homegrown player will be looking to make the same impressive offensive impact he did a few seasons ago.
Hard work is what earned Mangiapane a regular role with the Flames a few years after the franchise took a chance on the 5-foot-10 forward in the sixth round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. After a pair of 100-point seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Barrie Colts, Mangiapane got some professional seasoning in two 20-goal campaigns with the AHL’s Stockton Heat — the Calgary Flames farm team. He got 10 twirls in the big league in 2017-18 and made the jump full-time the next year after starting out in Stockton.
Nagging injuries and the pandemic prevented Mangiapane from playing a full 82-game season but he scored at a 20-plus-goal pace and earned a reputation as a versatile two-way winger who could play up and down the lineup. Mangiapane scored 17 times in 68 games in the COVID-ravaged 2019-20 season. He netted another 18 the following year.
An invite to Team Canada at the world championships after the 2020-21 season paid off in so many ways. Not only was he named MVP of the international tourney, helping Team Canada win gold, but he translated that performance into his best NHL season the following year.
Mangiapane scored four times and had eight points in four round-robin games at the worlds, then scored the overtime winner in the quarterfinals against the Russians — the tournament’s top seed. Two more goals came in the semifinal win over rival Team USA, including the game-winner. Mangiapane drove the bus all the way to the gold.
The MVP kept it rolling into the next season, scoring 35 goals and 55 points in 82 games. That earned him a nice AAV of $5.8M. He’s been trying to duplicate that pace ever since. Unsuccessfully, but not for a lack of effort. On one of the league’s best lines for possession and expected goals-for metrics alongside Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman, the goals haven’t come frequently even though the chances did.
He’s scored 31 goals combined over the past two campaigns, with just 14 to his credit this year. But a shoulder injury hindered his aggressive style and ability to train last summer. Heading into next year, he’s eager to show he’s closer to the 35-goal scoring sniper than the sub-20 guy with good underlying numbers.
In a contract year, there will be plenty of focus on Mangiapane, his play and his longer-term future.
There were a couple of other options for the title, including Flames captain Mikael Backlund, former 50-point defenceman Rasmus Andersson — who has come up the ranks alongside his good friend Mangiapane — and one of the young guns (Upper Deck name drop intended) like Connor Zary or Matthew Coronato could claim the title in the not-too-distant future.
However, it’s Mangiapane who gets the benefit of the doubt at this moment in time.
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